Timeboxing to Keep from Going Crazy

I do things and have no idea whether they will work. Often. Sometimes they’re inspired by data and other times just gut. I take a lot of small bets and imagine other entrepreneurs do as well.

There are two roadblocks I’ve encountered on the path to small bets: procrastination and perfectionist tendencies. They’re killers…but there is a simple solution. It’s called timeboxing.

Timeboxing means determining when I’m going to start an assignment and exactly how long I’ll take to finish.

Timeboxing is a commitment…and if you’re like me, you don’t like to break commitments. It allows projects to be defined by a fixed constraint. I timebox email, blog posts, phone calls, meetings etc. Heck we timebox our software development process through weekly sprints.

In addition to the benefits of overcoming procrastination and quelling perfectionism, timeboxing boosts focus and the ability to think creatively.

Even writing this post, I’m blaring Mahler and coming in a few minutes under tonight’s timebox Am I crazy? have you tried this? Shoot me a tweet with your personal thoughts on the topic!